Doll-head



L. R. KAMPES.

DOLL HEAD.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18. 1919.

1,357,779. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

WITNESSES INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUISE 3e. anrns, or ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY.

DOLL-HEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Application filed October 18, 1919. Serial No. 331,566.

struction, and more particularly to the method of making doll faces, andto the completed article itself.

A purpose of this invention is to provide ways and means formanufacturing doll,

heads, and more particularly for manufac tur ng the faces thereof. AnOb]8(3l3 1s to provide a doll face which either has a hard unyieldingsurface, or which has a yieldable,

soft, skin-like and pliant surface according to the desires of the tradeand the manufacturers. y

I have in view as a further purpose, to provide a doll head, and waysand means for the construction of same, which will enable themanufacturer to produce doll faces having variable features, that is tosay the doll faces constructed in accordance with the plans ofthisinvention may be varied in facial form and expressional features torender more pleasing and profitable the general line of dolls offeredfor sale to the;'

public. Y

With the above several objects and others prising the doll face appliedto the die where the material is in a near stage of completion to form adoll face.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view presented to illustrate the manner ofinserting the doll face within a retaining die to approximately Imaintain the facial expression of the doll completed facestructure ofthedollh This.

face while a reinforcement backing is built into the back of the facematerial to form an unyieldable and substantially strong doll head orface.

Fig. 3 illustrates in cross section a vulcanizer of any suitable designfor curing the view being partly broken away at the top. I

to disclose the material structure of the doll face. v

Doll heads or faces constructed in accordance with the plans of myinvention make use of one or more dies for aiding in the shaping of thefaces, and employ a heating or curing furnace for vulcanizing thecompleted faces to preserve the head: and

face structure for substantial and long time wear. A plaster Parisbacking may be employed to render the doll face stronger and unyieldableor the backing may be omitted to leave a doll face having soft yieldablecharacteristics more similar to the human faceof which the doll face isconstructed to imitate. y

In presenting a more detailed discussion of my invention together withthe ways and means of practising same, I point out a die 6 having anexterior shape to conform approximately to the face of the doll to bemanufactured. A portion of plastic ma terial is applied to theconfigurated die and spread over the die to formthe layer of ma terial7. Raw or unvulcanized rubber may be employed for this purpose or evenless expensive material such as artificial. rubber composition or infact any suitable elastic compositionmaterial may be used; Theunvulcanized compositionis applied in one or more layers, as for exampleit may produce a better and more substantial doll face to apply severalthin layers of raw or unvulcanized rubber whereupon each layer willadhere to the adjacent one.

A suitable fabric covering 8 is next applied to the plastic layer 7 andcarefully worked into the plastic material until the weave of the fabrichas become thoroughly embedded within the plastic material causing theplastic material and fabric to assume a composite and homogeneousstructure. Any appropriate fabric such as silk, cotton, or linen may bewell used for this purpose.

After the plastic composition and cloth application have been completed,the facial V doll figure is removed from the die 6 and placed in an ovenor vulcanizing kiln 10 to cure and vulcanize the doll facial structure.

This operation may be performed. by any suitable apparatus, and I haveshown one simple form of vulcanizer which may be used for this purposeand doll faces are shown within the vulcanizer. After the doll faces arethoroughly cured they are removed and the resulting article comprises adoll face which will wear a long time, and is substantially strong inconstruction. This doll face is pliant and flexible and resembles quitewell the pliant softness and yieldable characteristics of the humanface.

In some cases it is desirable to produce doll faces not having the softand pliant characteristics of the one just described.

In this case the facial figure comprisin the I material 7 and 8 isremovedfrom the die 6 and placed in another die 9. The die 9 has 1 aninternal configuration conforming in outin a layer of suitablethickness.

' face.

'7' and 8 as brought out in Fig. 2. The

plastic-material 11 is applied to the material tic material 7 and thebacking reinforcement '11 adhere to form a substantially strong andcomposite face structure.

After the doll face has been completed as above described by applyingthe backing reinforcement therein, it is placed in the V111- canizer andtreated until the raw rubber or composition is thoroughly cured. Thisdrys out the entire structurean'd forms a doll head of pronouncedstrength and Wearing ability. The backing reinforcement resists thebending and mashing of the doll This form of doll face may bemanufactured Where it is a more practical; and desirable product thanthe first form described. Y r

One of the important features ofmy' in- V vention is the particularmethod employed for varying the characteristic, facial expressi onsofdolls manufactured in accordance Wvltll this invention; This particularfeature and method sets my invention forward as a marked improvementover any existing manufactured articles coming under this class. Whenthe plastic layer of material 7 and fabric covering 8 is applied to thedie 6, the features of the doll may be brought out to any desiredtendency. For example the manufacturing artist will usually knead andwork the plastic mater-ial'into the con- "figurated die '6' by-thedexterous and skilful manipulation of his fingers, and in theexecution'of this step in the, manufacturing process thegar tist is ableto shape the nose,

mouth, chin and checks of the doll to any desired form. The dollmanufacturing artist may therefore change the expression of eachucceeding doll. Likewise he may employ a shaping tool such as a stylus12 for facilitating the careful work entailed in properly rounding outthe eyes, nose, and lip features of the face. When the material 7 isplastic it is quite subject to change and a skilful artist may very ablychange expressions of each succeeding doll which he makes.

The fabric covering 8 serves to hold the plastic material in shape sothat a working tool 12 or the artists fingers will not seriouslydisplace the plastic material 7 due to the fabric covering 8. Thismodeling process or method of artistlcally constructmg and varying thefacial expressions on each doll is carried out prior to the vulcanizingand curing process.- After the curative process is complete,-theresulting dollface is a work of'art, and manufacture in which ingenuityand skill are combined to build dolls at a comparatively rapid rate yetconsistently different in the facial expression of each to give thedealer a line of dolls not displayingv the same monotony in facialexpression but varying in appearance to the extent of interesting andimpressing the trade.- 7

Having thus described my inventiom'what 1 claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: l. The hereindescribed method ofconstructing a dolls face consisting in applying rubber to a die,shaping said material to form a dolls face, applying a fabric coveringto the shaped material, removing the fabric covered shaped material,placing the same in an interior configurated dieto retain the shapebrought out from] the first named die, applying "a reinforcement'to theinterior of the material to stiffen and strengthen the same, andvulcanizing the article thus produced.

2. That improvement in the art of manufacturing doll faces whichcomprises, applyin g rubber to a die to shape the same to form a dollface, applying'a fabric covering to the shaped rubber, removing theshaped rubber and placing the same in an interior configurated die toretain the shape brought out from the first named die, applying a;reinforcement to the doll face to stiffen and strengthen same, andfinally the vulcanization of the article for preservation] Y 3. Thatimprovement in the art of manufacturing dollfaces which comprises,applying UII-VHlCZtHlZG'Cl plastic rubber composition to a facialconfigurated die, applying a fabric covering to the shapednil-vulcanized plastic rubber compositionQfollowed by a process ofartfully and skilfully shaping the material to bringou't the desirediInpres sion and facial character of the doll face,

and finally vulcanizing the article for preserving the same.

a. That improvement in the art of manufacturing dolls which comprises,applying un-vulcanized plastic rubber composition. to a facialconfigurated die to approximately shape the composition. to conform tothe facial contour of the die, applying a fabric covering to the shapedcomposition, skilfully manipulating and Working the shaped material tobring out the desired doll features and to vary said features from thatof previously manufactured dolls, the removal of the doll face from thedie and inserting it in another die having an internal configuration toretain the facial shape of the doll, applying a backing reinforcement tothe shaped doll face, and finally vulcanizing the article for preservingthe same.

LOUISE R. KAMPES. Witness:

F. A. JoNns.

